After 19 years, Kenting Spring Scream remains as fresh as ever

▲Poster for Spring Scream in 2012. (Photo / Courtesy ofSpring Scream Facebook)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Kenting Spring Music Festival “SpringScream” began 19 years ago with performances by independent bands in Kenting, and has since grown into Taiwan’s largest and longest-running outdoor music event.

In 1995, Taiwan’s underground rock scene had yet to break into the mainstream, but key bands like Bonehead, Assassin, Chthonic, and Fretless were already very active. Jimi (吉米) and Wade (韦德), two musicians from the U.S. who came to Taiwan to teach English, formed a band with friends. Facing a lack of performance venues in Taiwan, the group started playing and singing on Kenting’s blue skies and clear seas, where the beautiful scenery became a source of inspiration, leading Jimi and Wade to decide to hold an independent band concert in Kenting.

On the first weekend of April 1995, the inaugural edition of Taiwan’s first rock music festival took place. Starting with just 20 bands that year, this year saw over 600 bands apply, with 260 selected to perform.

Jimi said he conceptualized “Spring Scream” based on the idea of the Woodstock Festival; “Spring’s ‘scream’—only Kenting is truly suited for it.” “Spring Scream” allowed Taiwan’s underground bands to shine brightly, with acts like Mayday, MC HotDog, Cheer Chen, Sandee Chan, Quartet, and Chairman all getting their start at “Spring Scream.”

The Kenting music season sparked by “Spring Scream” also inspired other outdoor music events in Taiwan, such as the later-established Gongliao Ocean Music Festival. In recent years, various cities and counties have also launched their own outdoor music festivals. During “Spring Scream,” Kenting is filled with an exotic vibe—where else can you see people strolling the streets in bikinis? It attracts more and more young people to flock to Kenting every spring to enjoy the free-spirited music carnival.